This future animal is similar to the Horseshoe Crab however, it is a different species. Christened as the Limulus quadratas, in Latin it means "Odd Square Shape". This animal is a personal scientific generation of what the Horseshoe crab may become 250 million years in the future. This section explores the different adaptations this creature has under taken in order to survive the Earth of the future. It also examines possible pressures which may have led to this evolution.
General Information
Scientific Classification
Level
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthopoda
Class
Merostomata
Order
Xiphosura
Family
Limulidae
Genus
Limulus
Species
Quadratus
Future Crab 01
Habitat
Future World
250 million years in the future, the world will be an extremely different place, global warming will have taken its toll, and the continents will be nothing we can remember. “Pangaea Ultima” (the final Pangaea) will be a singular landmass, land-locking what once was the mighty Atlantic Ocean into an inland sea. The Limulus quadratus will not necessarily be confined there as shown in fig. 2, there maybe rivers linking them to other parts of the world.
The ocean habitat of the future maybe very violently different from ours as global warming (occurring in 2099 onwards) will have completely if not almost melted both ice caps. This would mean that the salinity will be much lower and the Diamond crab may no longer as high levels of salinity to survive as the Horseshoe crab. In addition, warmer oceans will also mean that the Limulus quadratus will possess a very different form of survival skill to the Horseshoe crab.
The location of the Diamond crab also means that in the future, they will live in more tropical and wet/hot regions. It is possible that on land animals such as the descendants of the tropic hare may live in the vast jungles of “South America” and “Asia”. It is also thought that, given the average of a semi-enclosed sea, there will be a region similar to that of the Mediterranean rather than the Red Sea.
Future Habitat
There is a possibility once again that in the future; prey will once again attack the diamond crab. A possibility is the descendant of the Shark which may live in the Great Pacific Ocean. It is possible that these sharks may prey on the Limulus quadratus inhabiting the coast of former South America. In addition, the Diamond crab may feed on a diet similar to the Horseshoe crab, molluscs and other crustaceans. As it may survive in the tropics, it may live in reefs and therefore will have a wider diet than that of its ancestor (fig. 3).
The possible coral reefs which the animal may live in will mean that young Limulus quadratus can hide safely underneath large coral reefs. It will also be possible for the young to live on plankton attached to the Coral, this would provide a steady, safe supply of food until the young Diamond crabs are old enough to hunt.
Adaptations
Structural Adaptation One
As the name suggests, one of the important features of the Diamond Crab is…the diamond shaped shell. Made from calcium, it is brown in colour as part of the Limulus quadratus’ camouflage when out at the deeper oceans. The shell is also more triangular at the front as a means of becoming more streamlined and to be able to escape faster from animals.
An environmental pressure that could have led to this change is the fact that as time passed, the Diamond Crab once again had predators and therefore it was necessary to have both the ability to escape quickly. It also would be good to have a toughened shell which predators may find difficult to bite through.
Structural Adaptation Two
The new improvement to the diamond crab is perhaps, the tail sectors. Instead of a singular telson, the Limulus quadratus had five separate parts. This allowed the animal to lash its tail in a greater range of directions which in turn allowed for greater mobility. Such agility would mean that the Diamond crab could make tighter turns when escaping. Apart from this, the tail would still continue to serve the same purpose as balance and flipping over.
The environmental pressure which may have given rise to this new adaptation is the need, once again to escape from predators such as the "terra aquaticus" (future scorpion) in a hurry. Apart from predators, another environmental pressure maybe that, as the Limulus quadratus now hunts for fish, it needs greater speed and agility in order to keep up. A third pressure stemming from this is a great number of competition which meant that an animal with greater agility would be more advantaged.
Behavioural Adaptation One
The laying of eggs in coral reefs is an extremely important behaviour of the Limulus quadratus. By hiding the eggs conveniently under layers of coral, it not only provides the unhatched eggs with a degree of protection from both predators, but also the violent weather likely to hit the tropical regions. Once these eggs have hatched, the plankton which lives on the coral will provide the young Diamond crabs with the necessary nutrients until they are large enough to hunt.
Such behaviour has occurred as a result of the warmer temperatures of Pangaea Ultima no longer requiring the crab to lay eggs in the sand. In addition, many sea creatures will feed on the unhatched eggs of the young and therefore, it is essential for the Limulus quadratus to lay eggs in a region which is protected.
Behavioural Adaptation Two
Perhaps another behavioural adaptation of the Diamond crab is that it is an animal which will fight for mates. By flicking its tail at the opponent, the Limulus Quadratus tries to hit the underside of the animal in an attempt to either injure or in some cases, even kill the opponent. Another tactic used by the Diamond crab is to swim very close to the opponent and try to slice the underside with the sharp edge of the shell. The winner will be able to mate with the female.
This behaviour is merely increasing the effects of its ancestor, the horseshoe crab. Like animals such as the Red Kangaroo, the Diamond crabs need to reproduce is now extremely competitive and as a result, the Limulus quadratus has become far more aggressive than its ancestors.
Physiological Adaptation
Similar to its ancestor, the Limulus quadratus has an immune system which is both simplistic and extremely effective. Yet again, it involves the granulocytes in the blood assisting in the clotting as soon as the Diamond crab is injured. However, there is a new purpose to this, the aggressive fight for mates’ means that the Limulus quadratus has more chance of being injured in battle.
One of the environmental pressures to this is that sea water is filled with microbes and as a means of preventing infection, this effective immune system was developed. Another possibility is, as stated above, the extreme likelyhood of being injured in a battle for mates and the importance of a speedy recovery.
Environmental Pressure
Firstly, the diamond shaped shell and the split telson are an important adaptation which the Horseshoe crab did not posess. The environmental pressure which could have led to this development is that first, they may both be elements of speed and agility, in order to make a quick escape from predators. Secondly, the pressure to reproduce would mean that it also needed some means of attack to find mates and hence a sharper tail and shell to attack other Diamond crabs.
The second environmental pressure is the climate of the world 250 million years into the future. As the world will be a far more wet and tropical place, there is less need for the Limulus quadratus to hid eggs under the sand, instead it will be possible to hide them in coral reefs. The pressure is for these young to receive the nutrients avaliable in the coral while also being hidden from predators.
This future animal is similar to the Horseshoe Crab however, it is a different species. Christened as the Limulus quadratas, in Latin it means "Odd Square Shape". This animal is a personal scientific generation of what the Horseshoe crab may become 250 million years in the future. This section explores the different adaptations this creature has under taken in order to survive the Earth of the future. It also examines possible pressures which may have led to this evolution.
General Information
Scientific ClassificationHabitat
The ocean habitat of the future maybe very violently different from ours as global warming (occurring in 2099 onwards) will have completely if not almost melted both ice caps. This would mean that the salinity will be much lower and the Diamond crab may no longer as high levels of salinity to survive as the Horseshoe crab. In addition, warmer oceans will also mean that the Limulus quadratus will possess a very different form of survival skill to the Horseshoe crab.
The location of the Diamond crab also means that in the future, they will live in more tropical and wet/hot regions. It is possible that on land animals such as the descendants of the tropic hare may live in the vast jungles of “South America” and “Asia”. It is also thought that, given the average of a semi-enclosed sea, there will be a region similar to that of the Mediterranean rather than the Red Sea.
There is a possibility once again that in the future; prey will once again attack the diamond crab. A possibility is the descendant of the Shark which may live in the Great Pacific Ocean. It is possible that these sharks may prey on the Limulus quadratus inhabiting the coast of former South America. In addition, the Diamond crab may feed on a diet similar to the Horseshoe crab, molluscs and other crustaceans. As it may survive in the tropics, it may live in reefs and therefore will have a wider diet than that of its ancestor (fig. 3).
The possible coral reefs which the animal may live in will mean that young Limulus quadratus can hide safely underneath large coral reefs. It will also be possible for the young to live on plankton attached to the Coral, this would provide a steady, safe supply of food until the young Diamond crabs are old enough to hunt.
Adaptations
Structural Adaptation OneAs the name suggests, one of the important features of the Diamond Crab is…the diamond shaped shell. Made from calcium, it is brown in colour as part of the Limulus quadratus’ camouflage when out at the deeper oceans. The shell is also more triangular at the front as a means of becoming more streamlined and to be able to escape faster from animals.
An environmental pressure that could have led to this change is the fact that as time passed, the Diamond Crab once again had predators and therefore it was necessary to have both the ability to escape quickly. It also would be good to have a toughened shell which predators may find difficult to bite through.
Structural Adaptation Two
The new improvement to the diamond crab is perhaps, the tail sectors. Instead of a singular telson, the Limulus quadratus had five separate parts. This allowed the animal to lash its tail in a greater range of directions which in turn allowed for greater mobility. Such agility would mean that the Diamond crab could make tighter turns when escaping. Apart from this, the tail would still continue to serve the same purpose as balance and flipping over.
The environmental pressure which may have given rise to this new adaptation is the need, once again to escape from predators such as the "terra aquaticus" (future scorpion) in a hurry. Apart from predators, another environmental pressure maybe that, as the Limulus quadratus now hunts for fish, it needs greater speed and agility in order to keep up. A third pressure stemming from this is a great number of competition which meant that an animal with greater agility would be more advantaged.
Behavioural Adaptation One
The laying of eggs in coral reefs is an extremely important behaviour of the Limulus quadratus. By hiding the eggs conveniently under layers of coral, it not only provides the unhatched eggs with a degree of protection from both predators, but also the violent weather likely to hit the tropical regions. Once these eggs have hatched, the plankton which lives on the coral will provide the young Diamond crabs with the necessary nutrients until they are large enough to hunt.
Such behaviour has occurred as a result of the warmer temperatures of Pangaea Ultima no longer requiring the crab to lay eggs in the sand. In addition, many sea creatures will feed on the unhatched eggs of the young and therefore, it is essential for the Limulus quadratus to lay eggs in a region which is protected.
Behavioural Adaptation Two
Perhaps another behavioural adaptation of the Diamond crab is that it is an animal which will fight for mates. By flicking its tail at the opponent, the Limulus Quadratus tries to hit the underside of the animal in an attempt to either injure or in some cases, even kill the opponent. Another tactic used by the Diamond crab is to swim very close to the opponent and try to slice the underside with the sharp edge of the shell. The winner will be able to mate with the female.
This behaviour is merely increasing the effects of its ancestor, the horseshoe crab. Like animals such as the Red Kangaroo, the Diamond crabs need to reproduce is now extremely competitive and as a result, the Limulus quadratus has become far more aggressive than its ancestors.
Physiological Adaptation
Similar to its ancestor, the Limulus quadratus has an immune system which is both simplistic and extremely effective. Yet again, it involves the granulocytes in the blood assisting in the clotting as soon as the Diamond crab is injured. However, there is a new purpose to this, the aggressive fight for mates’ means that the Limulus quadratus has more chance of being injured in battle.
One of the environmental pressures to this is that sea water is filled with microbes and as a means of preventing infection, this effective immune system was developed. Another possibility is, as stated above, the extreme likelyhood of being injured in a battle for mates and the importance of a speedy recovery.
Environmental Pressure
Firstly, the diamond shaped shell and the split telson are an important adaptation which the Horseshoe crab did not posess. The environmental pressure which could have led to this development is that first, they may both be elements of speed and agility, in order to make a quick escape from predators. Secondly, the pressure to reproduce would mean that it also needed some means of attack to find mates and hence a sharper tail and shell to attack other Diamond crabs.
The second environmental pressure is the climate of the world 250 million years into the future. As the world will be a far more wet and tropical place, there is less need for the Limulus quadratus to hid eggs under the sand, instead it will be possible to hide them in coral reefs. The pressure is for these young to receive the nutrients avaliable in the coral while also being hidden from predators.
Bibliography:
NASA. (2000). Continents in Collision – Pangaea Ultima. Retrieved 12th June 2008 from: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast06oct_1.htmWikipedia. (2008). Pangaea Ulitma. Retrieved 12th June from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangaea_Ultima